


Mantis and Gentlebug

by MrsDiablousRiddle



Series: Maribat March 2020 [4]
Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU, DCU (Comics), Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, First Aid, Grave, Insomnia, Lifeswap, Multi, Platonic Soulmates, Rare Pair, Romantic Soulmates, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Spring Fever, Unconventional Weapon, White Day, best friend - Freeform, soulmate
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-06
Updated: 2020-03-23
Packaged: 2021-02-28 20:20:09
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 9,178
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23043127
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MrsDiablousRiddle/pseuds/MrsDiablousRiddle
Summary: For Maribat March day 6 prompt Unconventional Weapon.For Maribat March day 8 prompt Spring Fever.For Maribat March day 11 prompt Best Friend.For Maribat March day 14 prompt White Day.For Maribat March day 17 prompt Grave.For Maribat March day 20 prompt Insomnia.For Maribat March day 22 prompt Rare Pair.For Maribat March day 23 prompt Soulmate + First Aid.
Relationships: Alya Césaire & Nino Lahiffe, Alya Césaire/Lila Rossi, Chloé Bourgeois & Sabrina Raincomprix, Colin Wilkes/Nino Lahiffe, Damian Wayne & Adrien Agreste, Marinette Dupain-Cheng/Damian Wayne/Garfield Logan, Max Kanté/Alix Kubdel/Lê Chiến Kim
Series: Maribat March 2020 [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1651744
Comments: 11
Kudos: 115
Collections: Maribat March





	1. Chapter 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For Maribat March day 6 prompt Unconventional Weapon.

Marinette al Ghul Wayne, raised as an assassin from birth before being shipped to her father at the age of ten, stood proudly in front of her father, brothers and sisters. Her black hair, appearing even darker in the overhead light, only made her tan skin stand out more against her family’s pale skin. Her green eyes were the only thing that separated her from her other black haired siblings.

Across from the Wayne family, standing in the lobby of Wayne Enterprises, was the entire French class that would be graduating in a few years. Two boys, one with blond hair and the other with hair that shone blue in the light, stood in the front of the group. Their right hands had alternating black and green spots leading up their arms.

Marinette looked over the group, seeing several soulmarked couples standing arm in arm, before she flashed her megawatt smile. “Welcome,” she began in perfect French, “for the extent of your stay in Gotham, either myself, Jason,” Marinette gestured to her brother with a tuft of white hair displayed prominently across his forehead, “Cass or Steph,” she motioned to a black haired girl of Asian descent and a blonde girl before smiling again, “will act as your translators.”

Bruce Wayne placed a hand on his daughter’s shoulder. “Welcome to Gotham.”

\---

The group of French kids followed a representative of Wayne Enterprises, some low-level worker whose primary duty was to give tours to school-age children, while accompanied by the four French speaking Waynes.

The two boys with alternating black and green spots stuck with seven other students in the back of the group. The group consisted of a blonde with a redhead wrapped around her arm, a tall Viatnamese-French boy with a short African-French boy and a shorter Egyptian-French standing arm in arm, and a tall and broad French boy with a shorter French girl held in his arms. The blonde and redhead had matching black and blue-green tiaras on the backs of their left hands, while the broad French boy and the French girl in his arms had thorny roses on the inside of their left arms.

Marinette walked side by side with her brother, their sisters on either side of the group, and rolled her eyes while listening to the Italian girl with sausage hair go on and on.

“Of course I arranged it. Mr. Wayne sees me as a daughter. His youngest son, Marcus, was so so excited when he heard I was coming to town that he practically begged his father to arrange this tour for me, so I can see what I’ll be partially inheriting one day.” The Italian girl with sausage hair spoke, enrapturing five of the other students while the others simply rolled their eyes or listened disinterestedly.

Cass and Steph shot looks to the duo in the back, their more trigger happy siblings, before they shot a look at each other and filed away that lie for another time.

\---

Marinette, dressed as Mantis in a dark green suit opened to expose her praying mantis birthmark in stark black in the middle of her chest, crouched on the roof of a building. The comm in her ear relaying the ambient and background noise of her location to the rest of the team. “Mantis checking in. No sign of activity, I’ll wait five minutes before moving on.”

“There have been reports of sightings. Two individuals, one in red and black the other in black and green, near the area around the Wayne Hotel.” Oracle, Barbara Gordon, spoke and her voice washed over the team in the field giving them a sense of comfort.

“Mantis in pursuit.” Marinette whispered before she took off across the rooftops.

Marinette pulled up short, nearly falling off the roof, when a red and black spotted yoyo shot out in front of her. Her eyes, hidden behind a dark green domino mask, zeroed in on the duo standing on the next roof.

“Who are you?” Marinette demanded, her voice clear and filled with conviction. She brought her hands down rapidly, engaging scythe-like appendages.

“Gentlebug and Chat Noir, at your service.” The boy, because he couldn’t be any older than her, dressed in red and black smiled at her and offered his hand, the other was holding the yoyo that almost hit her.

Marinette felt one of her brothers land behind her and brought her hands up in much the same manner as before to disengage the scythe-like appendages. Her eyes never left the duo but tracked her brother in her peripheral vision.

“What are you doing in Gotham?” Her brother, Duke Thomas, asked. “More importantly, friend or foe?”

“There isn’t much on the web about Gentlebug and Chat Noir, an amatuer run blog called the Gentleblog seems to be one of the only sources for information.” Oracle reported over the comms, “Gentlebug fights with a yoyo while his partner fights with a bo staff, not unlike Red Robin. We’ll go over the details when the team comes back to the cave.”

Marinette looked over at Duke, smiled at him and nodded at him. “I’ll escort the newbies back to where they belong then meet you in the cave.”

\---

Mantis landed in the cave before she zipped the front of her suit up and discarded her gauntlets. She looked to her father, Barbara and Tim who were standing around the computer. “What do we got?”

Tim turned around in his chair and pointed at his ear, reminding Marinette to remove her comm, before he nodded. “After some digging, we discovered there are several part-time heroes working alongside Gentlebug and Chat Noir to defeat Hawkmoth and his accomplice Mayura.”

Barbara smiled at the gathered team before she nodded. "We can also assume that Hawkmoth and Mayura have a civilian accomplice, maybe more than one, based purely on the sheer number of Akumas who originate from one class." She enlarged a window on the screen before motioning towards it. "The number of Akumas have gone down recently."

"So, you think the civilian accomplice is a part of the class?" Jason crossed his arms over his chest and shifted his weight. "What gives you that idea?"

Stephanie let out a short before sharing a look with Cass. "Why don't you ask Marcus? He'd be glad to fill you in."

Marinette scowled. "You're lucky Father forbids me from wearing my gauntlets in the cave." She strode towards the computer but stopped when she got a good look at the heroes displayed on the screen. She turned around and stared at Jason. "Jaybird. Come look."

Jason joined his sister at the computers before he turned to Barbara. "Can you pull up footage from the lobby around the time the French class came in?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I'm aware Ladybug uses a yoyo. Yes, Gentlebug is just a male version of Ladybug. Yes, Mantis is named for the praying mantis on her chest. Yes, Mantis uses the praying mantis motif because Talia told her that praying mantis females bite the head off of their mates.
> 
> If you like this, you can find more here: https://peterxwade24.tumblr.com/post/611871587623469056/send-money-using-paypalme


	2. Lila Rossi Keeps Lying about Marcus Wayne (and Marinette has had Enough of it)

Gentlebug found himself in a sprawling garden, buildings barely visible over the top of the taller plants, and he was loving every moment of it. He fluttered through the plants, smiling when he discovered plants that he had growing on his balcony.

Gentle footfalls came towards him, and his head shot up. His blue eyes met green eyes, green eyes that he has looked into. His eyes travelled to the praying mantis on her chest, the same praying mantis that he struggled to cover. His eyes shot back up to her’s before both of their heads shot to the side when they heard humming.

Pamela Isley walked into view, a gentle smile pulling her lips up as the setting sun reflected in her eyes. She stopped, seeing the two teen heroes posed to start a fight. She let out a gasp, her hands at her sides ready to ask the plants for aid, before noticing the praying mantis. “Little Green. It’s been ages.”

Mantis shook off her anxiety and flew into Pam’s arms. “Oh Green. It has.” She laughed and pressed kisses to Pam’s cheeks. “Pam, the boy over there is Gentlebug. He’s from Paris.”

Gentlebug looked up at the mention of his name, his eyelashes covered in pollen. “Bonjour Mademoiselle.”

Pam looked the boy over before her eyes went back to Mantis. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming out today?”

“It was a surprise.” She shrugged before her eyes darkened while looking at the sky. She zipped up her suit and extended her capes, the under cape looking like mantis wings when spread. “As is his appearance.”

Batman landed a few feet away with a scowl evident on his face. “Mantis.” His voice was that of a disapproving father. “I don’t believe I approved of a stop.”

“Batman.” Mantis started, sounding like a petulant child, “it was spontaneous. I missed the field.”

Batman rolled his eyes. “You’re supposed to inform someone when you drop off the grid.”

Mantis rolled her eyes back at him, looking like the petulant child her father made her into. “I didn’t know I did. I forgot it was a dead zone.”

Gentlebug stood to his full-height, reaching her father’s chest, and extended his hand to Batman. “It’s a pleasure to meet you sir. I’m Gentlebug.”

Batman looked at the boy, the boy who was no older than his daughter, and shook his hand. “Most wouldn’t say pleasure.”

Pam let out a snicker before turning back to the girl in her arms. “How have you been Little Green?”

“I’ve been fine.” Mantis let a smile cross her face before she turned to look at the field.

“He planted it for you, Little Green.” Pam whispered in her ear. “This was just empty land before you showed up on his doorstep. We didn’t see Bats for nearly a month and when we did see him he was covered in dirt.”

Mantis looked at Pam, disbelief in her eyes. “I thought he was infuriated with my existence. I thought he didn’t want me.” Mantis’ voice was as quiet as Pam’s, meant only for Pam’s ears.

\---

Marinette sat in the living room, rose-lily hybrids throughout her hair, while she pressed the call button on her phone. A smile bloomed on her face when her boyfriend picked up the phone.

“Hello there flower.” Her boyfriend’s voice came through the phone. “What’s up?”

“I was just wondering when you’re coming to town. You could even bring Victor and Rachel.”

He laughed, a high tinkling noise that caused Marinette to let out a delighted sigh. “I’ll talk to them and see when we can hop on the next flight.”

Marinette smiled and let out a soft giggle. “I hope it’s soon. I miss you.”

He sighed happily. “I miss you too Orchid.”

“Who are you on the phone with? Did you just say Orchid? Is that Wayne?” Victor’s voice rang out from behind her boyfriend before a struggle ensued. “Wayne!”

Marinette laughed and sat up straight on the couch. “Hi Victor.”

“We miss you in the Tower, Wayne. Nobody here to kick us when we’re down.”

A clear voice came from behind Victor. “Are you talking to Wayne?”

“Yes!” Victor’s over-excited voice came over the phone.

“Get off of me. Let me talk to my girlfriend.” Garfield’s voice sounded muffled, as though Victor was actually sitting on him.

“Victor, as much as I love you, I want to talk to Garfield.”

Victor sighed before he got off of Garfield. “I’m putting you on speaker.”

Marinette laughed and shook her head. “I have ten minutes before I have to get dressed to go follow a class around Gotham.”

“Really? Would it be a French class? That won a trip to Gotham?” Rachel asked, her smile evident in her voice.

“How do you-” Marinette felt lithe arms wrap around her shoulders and stilled, dropping her phone into her lap. She grabbed the individual by the arm and pulled them down, over the back of the couch and onto the couch, and subsequently into her lap.

Rachel looked up at her, a smile playing on her lips. “Hi there.”

Marinette let out a loud scream, causing some of her brothers to run into the living room.

“Are you okay?” Duke asked, his breath coming out in short pants as though he had finished running a marathon.

“Who do I have to kill?” Jason asked, his mouth set in a line.

“It’s my friends!” Marinette looked at her older brothers with a smile. “No worries. Also, this means Jason doesn’t have to help me babysit the French class.”

Duke looked over the three other teens. “As long as Victor and Rachel are with you.”

\---

The French class was accompanied by four teens, much to the disappointment of Lila Rossi. Damian Dupain-Cheng was disappointed for a different reason.

The cool girl who had welcomed them at Wayne Enterprises, presumably a Wayne herself, was hanging off of some other guy. She was laughing and hanging on every word he said while the two other people who were accompanying their trip looked like they wanted to be anywhere else.

“-of course Marcus wanted to be here but his father said no.” Lila’s annoying voice cut into Damian’s thoughts, pulling not only Damian’s attention towards her but also their four translators’.

“Hey, uh, dude. Did she just say Marcus?” One of the translators asked the boy who was being clung to by the cool girl. “Like, for real?”

The cool girl did not look very cool  ~~ in fact she looked rather hot ~~ while listening to Lila go on and on about Marcus Wayne and how he was her soulmate.

“Excuse me.” The cool girl cut into Lila’s annoying tale. “Did you say you personally know Marcus Wayne?” Her face was set in an innocent expression but Damian, and by extension Adrien, could see the heat behind her eyes. “Why don’t you give him a call? I hear he’s very good at escaping his father’s watchful eye.”

Lila sputtered, trying to come up with an excuse. “I couldn’t possibly interrupt him. Marcus said his number wasn’t to be used to gain favours-”

“Rach. Vic. What’s my name?”

“Marinette al Ghul Wayne.” The other two translators replied in unison. “But we call you Wayne because not even your brothers call you by your first name.”

Lila’s eyes flared to life. “Then you must know Marcus. Which one of his brother’s are you married to? Johnathon, Thomas, Derek, or Devin?”

The boy who the cool girl, Marinette, was clinging too suddenly wrapped his arms around her and, with a tone that could rival Gabriel Agreste in disapproval, raised an eyebrow. “Their names are Dick, Jason, Tim and Duke. Oh look, there’s Tim now. Tim!”

Tim, one of the other Waynes who had welcomed them, turned to look at the passing class before his eyes met his sister’s. “Woah there Man-Eater. Who messed with the bull?” His tone was flat, but his eyes were filled with joy.

Damian gulped at the name Man-Eater  ~~ he wasn’t sure whether to be turned on or scared ~~ and turned to look at the girl.

Marinette’s eyes met her brother’s and she took a deep breath. “File a suit. I want Lila Rossi sued for defamation of character, slander and whatever else you can make stick to her because if I have to listen to her say another word about Marcus Wayne,” Tim broke out laughing so hard he had to hold his stomach, “oh yes laugh it up Thomas, I will brake Father’s no killing rule.”

Damian noticed for the first time that Marinette’s hair was decorated with flowers, the flowers ranged from roses to lilies to rose-lily hybrids, and a smile spread on his face.

Tim rolled his eyes before nodding. “Yes whatever you say, all mighty Man-Eater.”

“That was one time! And it wasn’t like it was in the city! Jason should learn to keep his mouth shut.”


	3. Nino and Colin Were Made for Each Other

Marinette woke up and looked around her room, plants blooming on every surface and cats lazing about all over. She brushed her hand down the back of Roadkill, her female Kurilian Bobtail, before sitting up. She stretched before getting out of bed, reaching down to pet Trooper, her male Sphynx, and walking over to pull open the curtains over her windows. She gently nudged Meatball, a male brown Tabby, out of her way before stepping over Sharpnel, a female grey Ragdoll, and narrowly dodging Honey, a male yellow American Curl. She smiled at Gin and Roy, a bonded pair of red Ragamuffin, while they moved to lay in a ray of sun.

Marinette began humming a song of indeterminate origin as she went around her room, petting cats, before ducking into her closet to change into clothes.

\---

Marinette walked into the dining room wearing a long-sleeved black top with mesh shoulders, black pants held up with a yellow belt, a black infinity scarf wrapped around her neck, a black rhinestone bat bracelet sat on her left wrist, her nails were painted black, silver bat wing earrings, with black chunky-heeled ankle boots to go with her black sunglasses. Her hair styled in a braid crown with sprigs of baby’s breath surrounding stargazer lily blossoms tucked into the folds of the braids.

“Wow Man-Eater,” Jason let out a whistle, “What’s the occasion? Planning B’s murder?”

Marinette flipped Jason the bird and grabbed a pear. She looked to her other brothers and passed them a half-hearted glare. “I’m taking Colin. Cass. Steph. Let’s go.”  ~~ Hopefully without incident. ~~

\---

Cass and Steph led the French class through Gotham, keeping up their tour guide personas, while their sister stuck to the back  ~~ and the group of French students that the rest of the class disregarded ~~ .

Marinette, with her arm intertwined with her best friend's, nodded to the French students. “Colin, these are the French students.”  ~~ Stay away from the cute black haired boy with the sincere looking blue eyes. Garfield and I have our suspicions about him. Please find your soulmate in someone else. ~~

Colin held out his hand, a smile on his face. “Hi, it’s nice to meet you.” Colin looked up when a dark-skinned hand grabbed his.  ~~ Holy moly he’s hot. ~~

The boy attached to the hand had the same black treble clef wrapped around an anchor above his clavicle and spreading up his neck. The boy had dark brown hair and orange-brown eyes hidden behind black framed glasses. A red baseball cap sat atop his head while blue and orange headphone sat around his neck. His eyes locked with Colin’s and identical smiles spread across their faces.

A bespeckled girl with auburn hair scowled from behind the boy with headphones around his neck. “Nino. What’re you doing?”  ~~ Why aren’t you paying attention to me? ~~

The aforementioned boy, Nino, turned to look at the girl, a tiny pair of silver and orange glasses underneath his right ear came into view. “Talking to the locals.”  ~~ Go away Alya. He’s super cute and I don’t care if we’re platonic soulmates this cutie is my romantic soulmate. ~~

The bespeckled girl tossed her hair over her shoulder and glared at the other girl. “Let’s go. Lila was just telling us about Marcus.”  ~~ PAY ATTENTION TO ME. ~~

Colin let out a snicker, his hand still clutching Nino’s, and looked at Marinette.  ~~ So this is where Marcus came from. ~~ “Marcus, what do you have to say about that?”  ~~ This boy is really cute. ~~

Marinette sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Why don’t you just call me Man-Eater like my brothers?” She looked between Colin and Nino before her eyes widened minutely. “Well, well, well. Looks like Colin here found his soulmate.”

Colin’s face flushed red and waved his hands, one still clutching Nino’s, in front of his face. “What’re you talking about?!”

Marinette laughed, and Damian watched her as her eyes lit up. He sighed wistfully and leaned against Adrien’s side. “Isn’t she just so cool?”

Adrien let out a laugh and flicked Damian’s forehead. “You’ve already said that. Thrice.”

Lila walked towards Marinette, and was scared by the furry head that popped up out of her scarf. “Mostro! Demone! Allontanati da me!”

The cat, Marinette’s cat, let out a low hiss, drawing Colin’s attention. Colin let out a laugh before he gently pulled the cat from the scarf. “Hey there Roadkill. What’re you doing in there?”

Marinette let out a giggle, giving Roadkill an affectionate scratch. “I couldn’t leave her home today, she wouldn’t stop pawing at my pant legs.” She cast a glare over her shoulder at the Italian girl. “For your information, Roadkill is neither a monster nor a demon. And you can get away from me. You’re the one who approached me and spooked Roadkill.”

Lila huffily turned up her nose at Marinette. “What kind of name is Roadkill?”

“She was practically roadkill when I found her in Pakistan, where I was born, and she’d been my best kept secret until I got here.” Marinette smiled at Colin before nodding towards Nino. “Can I have my cat back so you can go flirt with your soulmate, bestie?”

Colin glared at Marinette before passing her back her cat. “We’re not flirting!” His cheeks flushed and punched Marinette’s shoulder. He walked over to Nino, absentmindedly grabbing his hand, and began talking.

Marinette fell back into step with Kim, Max and Alix, a gentle smile on her face. She loved her best friend and, come hell or high water, she would support him in everything he does. She really hoped that Abuse would miss their patrol tonight, so he would spend some quality time with his soulmate, he deserves it.

Cass and Steph shot each other a suspicious look before shrugging and going back to working on leading the French kids around the city. This was going to be a long trip and they didn’t know if the family would be able to pull through the whole trip.


	4. Marinette al Ghul Wayne isn't Nice to Her Peers

Marinette sat in her room, dreading the upcoming day. She hated this silly tradition Gotham Academy had and she would definitely talk her father into getting it removed if Colin didn’t love it. She walked to her closet, pulling her hair back into a quick braid, and flipped on the light. She pulled on her uniform, (a blue plaid skirt, a white long-sleeved button-up shirt, white tights and black shoes with a blue plaid tie under a blue vest) before she walked to her ensuite and brushed her teeth.

Marinette quickly swiped some mascara onto her eyelashes before she grabbed her bag and danced over the cats laying all over her room. She walked down the hallway to the dining room where she saw her brothers sitting and eating breakfast. She waved before grabbing an apple. “I’m walking with Colin today.”

\---

Marinette and Colin walked into the school and caught sight of the French class. Colin ran at the class and wrapped his arms around his soulmate.  ~~ He looks so cute. ~~

Nino laughed and smiled at Colin, drawing a glare from Alya. “I didn’t know you went to this school.”  ~~ I’m so glad that I ran into him here. ~~

Marinette walked towards them, ignoring the glare she got from Lila. She was stopped when one of her male classmates walked towards her, a bag held in his outstretched hand.

“Hey! Wayne!” His voice sounded in the otherwise silent hallway, drawing the other students attention to her. “Here. For White Day.” He had a timid smile on his face while he handed her the bag. He turned and ran after he handed her the bag, waving to her over her shoulder.  ~~ I hope she liked it. ~~

“Colin.” Her voice was quiet and suddenly Colin was at her side accepting the bag. “Thank you.” She passed her best friend  ~~ he was practically her little brother and she would die to protect him ~~ a smile before ruffling his hair. They continued walking to class, waving to the French class.

\---

Marinette sighed for the umpeenth time that day as she slid into her seat at lunch, Colin beside her and their friend, Eli, across from him. She passed her two friends more bags she’d received during the day before they both passed her small boxes. The three friends smiled before trays appeared on their unoccupied sides.

Nino plunked down on Colin’s unoccupied side while the other French kids who have been disregarded sat down on the other unoccupied sides. “Hi.” Nino smiled, extending his hand to Eli. “I’m Nino and it appears I’m Colin’s soulmate.”

Eli smiled and extended their hand. “Hi, I’m Eli.” Their face broke out in a smile before they looked back to Marinette. “Why didn’t you tell me that there were French students in school?”  ~~ I hope they don’t misgender me like the students here. I really hope they don’t misgender me. ~~

Marinette looked up from her lunch, a salad loaded with different vegan safe toppings, with a smile on her face. She chewed her salad and looked at Eli. “I didn’t know they’d be in school today, or even going to this school.” She shrugged and went back to her salad.

Eli nodded before they looked at Marinette. “Open my White Day present.” Their face broke out in a smile as they clapped excitedly.

Marinette opened Eli’s White Day present, her eyes widening. She pulled out Eli’s White Day present and smiled. “Thank you so much.” Marinette gingerly placed Eli’s White Day present back in the box, “I’ll be sure to put this on Roadkill when I get home.” Eli’s White Day present was a beautiful black collar decorated with stars. She opened the box from Colin and looked at her best friend. “This is beautiful.” Colin got her a simple charm bracelet that only had one simple charm on it, a cat head.

\---

Marinette was walking to the entrance of the school, creating a schedule to complete her homework before it was time for patrol.

“Mademoiselle?” Came a hesitant voice from behind her, she turned to look at the source of the voice and smiled when she saw it was Damian.

“Yes?” Marinette asked, a gentle smile on her face. “What’s up?”

Damian hesitantly held out a small container filled with assorted sweets. “I figured I’d do something nice for you guys, since you took the time out of your days to walk around Gotham with us. If you don’t eat sweets you can just give these to your family.”

Marinette nodded and took the small container. “This is really sweet Damian. I will make sure to pass these along to my family. I would try them but unfortunately I’m on a strict vegan diet.”

\---

Marinette returned home and left the container of sweets in the kitchen. She went to her bedroom and began her homework. She smiled at her cats and continued her homework.

Jason burst into her room, his mouth filled with sweets. “Who made these? They’re delicious.”

Marinette shrugged. “Damian, you know that kid from the French class.”  ~~ He’s kinda cute, not that I’d ever tell my brothers that. ~~

\---

Bruce knocked on the doorframe to Marinette’s room before he looked in, seeing her slumped on her desk, and walked into the bedroom. He moved to her desk and picked her up before carrying her to her bed. He tucked her into her bed and pressed a kiss to her forehead.  ~~ I love her, even if she’s kind of hard to get along with. ~~

Marinette laid in bed for a few minutes before her cats joined her. They all laid down around her and covered the bed.

\---

Tim snuck into Marinette’s room and looked over her homework. He sat down at her desk, and double checked it. She was correct, as always, and he loved that he wasn’t the only smart one in the family.

Tim snuck back out of his sister’s room and rolled his eyes at his brothers. He was so grateful for every day that he wasn’t the only smart one in this family.


	5. Chat's First Time in the Field

Marinette al Ghul Wayne stood in front of the assembled French class, her hands behind her back as her eyes roamed the class. A small smile spread across her face at the sight of her friends in the back before her face returned to an expression of neutrality. She gestured to the graveyard behind her before she felt their eyes examine her outfit. Marinette had gone with a pair of black skinny jeans paired with a three-quarter sleeved dark gray top, a black cardigan pulled over her top and a blue scarf around her neck. She was wearing black boots that matched the black purse hanging from her shoulder, black sunglasses sat on her face, protecting her eyes (lined with black pencil liner with a black shimmery eyeshadow) from the sunlight. Her nails were painted the same blue of her scarf, matching blue studs shone from her ears, and she had a silver bird ring on her right hand.

“Today, we’ll be visiting the Wayne Family Cemetery.” She began, looking over the class and seeing quite the array of colours. “I thought your teacher, guardian, whoever is here with you would have told you that, but apparently not, oh well.” She shook her head, Cass and Steph at the back of the group shared a look before looking over the group. “Let's go.” Marinette turned and pressed open the iron gates to the cemetery. She led the group through the cemetery, pointing out past Waynes who had an impact on the city of Gotham.

“Umm, sorry. Excuse me? Why does this one have your name on it?” One of the students, a boy with red hair whose English was noticeably better than some of the others’, inquired.

Marinette looked at the stone he was referencing, one in front of where the rest of the group was standing, and her eyes widened in slight fright. “Oh.” She turned to look at her older sisters, their blue and brown eyes looking back at her, and they could read her like an open book in that moment.

“There was an accident, a few years back, and she was caught up in it.” Stephanie began, Cassandra nodding beside her in agreement. “We thought she had died and we commissioned the stone.”

Cassandra nodded beside her sister, a small smile on her face. “The stone reads ‘One who fights with everything they have.’ in Arabic.”

Marinette forced a smile onto her face and nodded. “Enough about that. Let’s go see the gravestone of Jason, who actually died.” She hurried the French students away from her grave and to the grave of their brother.

\---

Marinette stood in the front of the line at her favourite coffee shop, dressed today in a short-sleeved gray shirt over blue ripped jeans paired with brown combat boots which matched her brown fingerless gloves and a silver necklace. The necklace had a single military dog tag on it with a silver cross while her lips were covered in a red lipstick, her hair hidden under a red beanie.

She smiled at the barista and paid for her drink. She moved to the side to let others order before one of the other baristas set about making her drink. She smiled at the barista when they handed her her drink, a Grande White Chocolate Mocha with soy milk, and waved at them all. “Thank you all so much,” she called over her shoulder while placing a fifty in the tip jar.

Marinette went about her day, drinking her coffee and walking back to the manor. She would have a lot of fun on patrol tonight.

\---

Mantis walked through the cave, her suit zipped up to her throat and her domino mask on her face to hide her identity. She pressed a quick kiss to Batman’s cheek. “I’m going to the field tonight, meeting Ivy there for some Green and Little Green bonding.”

Mantis flew from the cave, drifting with the wind with a tinkling laugh falling from her lips. She landed softly in the field, her wings folding easily back under her cape, her hands reaching out to gently cradle the petals of the nearby flowers. She walked into the field, making sure to stick to the trampled paths she and Ivy had created.

Her green eyes sparkled in the light of the moon and stars, while her hair fluttered around her, dancing in the light breeze. Her laugh, sounding like bells ringing in a swift breeze, ran through the field, inviting the animals to come out and play. She leapt over tree stumps, her feet meeting only the dirt or the grass. She smiled as several praying mantises, not unlike the one on her chest, settled in her hair as she tugged at the zipper on her suit. She felt the moonlight settle on the praying mantis displayed on her chest, and let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding.

She turned at the sound of footsteps approaching, her face transforming into an expression of disappointment when she saw the red of his suit. “Hello, Gentlebug.”

“Mantis!” Gentlebug’s frightened reply came, knocking him back into the form behind him.

“Hey!” The figure behind him cried. “Watch it!” The figure was dressed in a black suit with green detailing, green paw print trailed up the sleeves covering his arms and down the pant legs covering his legs. He took a step towards Mantis, which resulted in Mantis and Gentlebug yelling at him.

“Stop!” Gentlebug called.

“Don’t do that!” Mantis’ frantic cry rang throughout the field.

Green vines wrapped around Chat Noir and lifted him to stand beside Mantis. “What’s a little kitty like you doing in a place like this?” Pamela’s voice sounded sickeningly sweet and Mantis let out a laugh. The green vines wrapped around Mantis, squeezing her in a hug, as Pamela emerged through the trees.

The praying mantises atop Mantis’ head took flight, startling the Parisian heroes. Pam and Mantis let out laughs before Pamela wrapped Mantis in a hug of her own.

“I missed you Little Green.”

“I missed you Green.”


	6. Damian and Adrien are Brothers in Everything but Blood

Gentlebug and Chat Noir found themselves, once again, in the field of flowers. They couldn’t tell the exact reason why they keep coming here. Whether it be the flowers or the mix of plant life, for whatever reason the two boys felt at peace in the field. This time, oddly, the two boys found themselves alone in the field.

Gentlebug, already much more comfortable being in the field, let out a sigh and shook out his shoulders. “Tikki, spots off.” Gentlebug was consumed in a dark red light and Damian Dupain-Cheng appeared. Damian wore dark gray joggers with an off-white long-sleeved shirt and a pair of black sneakers. Damian held out his hands with a smile to his red and black spotted companion. “Thank you Tikki.” Damian pulled a cookie out of the small bag slung over his shoulder and offered it to the tiny maternal goddess. “Have a cookie.”

Tikki took the cookie with a smile before looking around the field.

Chat Noir looped his arms around Damian’s shoulders and, with a Chesire grin on his face, rested his head atop Damian’s. “Plagg, claws in.” Chat Noir was consumed in a dark green light and when it dissipated, Adrien Agreste was left in his wake. Adrien, similarly dressed in a pair of black joggers with a navy blue long-sleeved shirt with nearly identical black sneakers, let out a laugh as Plagg floated down to lean against Tikki. The two kwamis shared a rare kiss, causing their holders to blanch.

“Ew! Mom and Dad are kissing!” The two teenage boys chorused in unison before they devolved into a fit of laughter.

Tikki tutted at the boys, a smile on her face.

Adrien looked at Damian, his blond hair shining in the pale moonlight. “So, you know she’s alive and most likely our age.” He ran a pale hand through his blond hair, disturbing the otherwise perfectly style hair, before his heightened sense of hearing picked up the sounds of someone breathing. “There’s someone else out here.” Adrien picked up Plagg before passing him a wedge of Camembert. Plagg consumed the cheese in a single bite and smirked up at Adrien. “Plagg, claws out.” Adrien vanished in a dark green light and was quickly replaced with Chat Noir.

Damian, with a softly spoken “Tikki, spots on”, was consumed in a dark red light and was replaced with Gentlebug. His eyes looked around them, his previously mostly black mask having taken on white spots leading from beside his eyes to the edge of the mask, and he pulled his yoyo from his side. He swung the yoyo in front of his body, more of a nervous reaction than anything else, before his eyes caught sight of something reflecting the moonlight in the distance. He stopped swinging his yoyo before looking at Chat Noir, who stopped swinging his staff at almost the same time Gentlebug did.

The other person, because there’s no other being that causes that reaction from Chat Noir, kept walking as though guided almost entirely by instinct. The other person dressed simply in a loose-fitting pair of pajama shorts and an oversized shirt walked through the field, their feet skillfully avoiding all of the plants. Their hair trailed behind them like a Victorian woman’s hooded cloak. They approached the duo, one of their hands coming up to their face to rub at their eyes.

Chat Noir dropped his fighting stance, as his green eyes saw the green eyes of the other person, and let out a laugh. “What are you doing up at this time of night, Mademoiselle Wayne?”

Marinette looked up at the duo, her green eyes widening in mild surprise. “I didn’t think I’d run into anyone, otherwise I would have dressed up a little.” She looked down at her outfit, a pair of loose-fitting pajama shorts she borrowed from Stephanie and an oversized shirt she’d pilfered from Dick, before looking back up at the Parisian teens. “What are you two doing up at this time of night?”

Gentlebug and Chat Noir shared a look before shrugging. “Insomnia.” Their voices chorused out in tandem, green eyes meeting blue, before looking back at Marinette Wayne.

“Same.” She responded, her tan hands nervously tugged on the cuffs of the sleeves before they shot up to flatten her otherwise wayward hair, and smiled at the boys. “Did you feel it too?” She paused, looking around the field as a gust of chilled wind swept through, before her eyes flitted back to them. “Did you feel the pull?”

\---

The three teens sat, close enough together to keep warm but far enough apart to retain some semblance of distance, looking up at the sky.

“Do you ever wonder where they are?” Marinette’s voice cut through the otherwise silent night, her green eyes reflecting the first rays of the morning sunrise. “Your soulmates, I mean.”

Chat Noir looked over at Gentlebug, a slight smile on his face. “We’re platonic soulmates,” he moved to show Marinette the tiny black cat curled around an even tinier red ladybug behind his right ear before sitting back down, “so I know where that gulug is even when he’s being an idiot. But, I do wonder. I wonder if they wonder where I am.”

Gentlebug looked over at Chat Noir, a matching smile on his face, before nodding. “Platonic soulmates and all that jazz is great. However, my romantic soulmate is here, in Gotham. The hero Mantis,” Gentlebug’s hand went to the center front of the top of his suit and unzipped the almost invisible zipper. The front of his suit split into two and revealed a black praying mantis in  **THE EXACT SAME PLACE** as Marinette’s (and Garfield’s) own praying mantis. His hand quickly zipped it back up and he smiled, “she’s my romantic soulmate.”

Marinette nodded, looking down at the watch on her wrist before looking up at the two Parisian heros. “As fun as this has been, I’ve got Parisian teens to worry about and school to get ready for.” She stood up and dusted off her legs. “It was nice hanging out with you two.” Marinette waved at them as she walked off.

Gentlebug let out a gentle sigh and looked over at Chat Noir. “If it wasn’t for Mantis, I could see myself falling in love with that girl.”

Chat Noir sadly shook his head. “She’s got a boyfriend. Anyways, let’s go. We’ve got to get ready for school.”

\---

Marinette smiled at the Parisian teens and gave a bow. “Welcome back to Gotham Academy. You’ve all alre-” Marinette cut off and her eyes widened upon seeing someone behind the Parisian teens. She leapt from the steps and the Parisian teens’ eyes widened in fear.

Garfield Logan caught Marinette and set her back down on her feet after pressing a kiss to her lips. His unbuttoned Hawaiian shirt, over a pair of tan cargo pants, proudly displaying the black praying mantis on his chest.

Damian took a step back, his eyes going from the praying mantis on Garfield’s chest to the girl in his arms and everything clicked in that moment. He looked at Adrien, his eyes drifting down to their black and green spots, before his eyes shot back up to Adrien’s and widened.

“We have to tell her”, went unspoken between the two Parisian teens and they feared that their one night of insomnia would cost them the chance to actually get to know their soulmates.


	7. Of Parisian Teens and Sparring

Nino sat beside Colin, his eyes continuing to drift over the other boy, with his math worksheet in front of him. The teacher, Mr. Addams, stood at the front of the room teaching the class whatever it was they were learning, but to Nino it sounded like Ancient Latin.

The bell rang, disrupting the class and sending the twenty or so students to their feet. They collected their belongings, homework, and bags before ambling out of the room. Nino followed Colin, linking their hands as they walked down the hallway. Nino smiled at Colin, hefting his bag (a simple dark blue book bag slung over on shoulder) back up onto his shoulder.

“Did you understand that worksheet?” Colin’s voice sounded from beside him, his voice which made Nino lose track of time and where he was.

Nino, with a sheepish shrug, let out a faint “no,” causing Colin to look at him with a scandalized expression. “In my defense, math is not my strong suit.” Nino guided them through the hallway, dodging the other students in the hallway, to their next class. Nino smiled and let go of Colin’s hand at the door to the classroom. “Maybe you’ll be able to help me with my math homework after school.”

\---

Nino sat across from Colin, their homework spread out on the table in front of them, in a little coffee shop that Colin had taken him to. He stared into Colin’s eyes, warm brown eyes searching chocolate brown eyes, with a smile on his face. Nino could see Colin’s lips moving but didn’t understand a single word he said. With a sheepish grin, and a barely noticeable recoil into his chair, he held up his hand. “I’m sorry. Could you repeat that?”

Colin, with a gentle smile on his face, nodded and flipped back to the beginning of the section. “Why do you do that?” Colin’s smile intensified as he tilted his head towards Nino. “Recoil when you ask people to repeat what they said.”

Nino’s already dark cheeks grew darker as he ducked his head in shame. “I’m sorry.” He shrugged before diving back into his math homework.

\---

Colin sat beside Nino, his chocolate brown eyes observing the stiff form of the other boy, and tried to figure out the enigma that is Nino Lahiffe. He knew he’d need to spend more time getting to know the boy who was his romantic soulmate but he didn’t know how far Nino would let him in.

The bell rang, dismissing them from their History class, and Colin stood up and started collecting his belongings. He watched as Nino, uncharacteristically, ran from the room. He followed slowly and stopped before he rounded the corner after Nino when he heard a shrill voice admonishing the other boy.

“What do you think you’ve been doing? Running around with that- that- faggot?!” The shrill voice belonged to Alya Cesaire, the girl Colin knew Nino had been maybe seeing while he was in Paris. “Do you know how that makes me look? How that makes our relationship look?!”

Colin could see Nino recoiling from the shrill voiced girl in his head and regretted stopping when he heard Nino’s voice. “You don’t control me Alya. We’re platonic soulmates, not romantic.” Nino’s voice sounded defeated and Colin hurried to his side when he heard another voice.

“And she’s glad for that.” The voice belonged to the Italian girl with sausage hair. Colin, from the other end of the hallway, watched the Italian girl wrap her arm around the other girl. “So am I.” She pressed a kiss to Alya’s cheek, causing the shorter girl to flush in embarrassment.

Colin stepped beside Nino and linked his hand with Nino’s larger one. “So am I. Otherwise, he’d be stuck with a shrew like you. Come on Nino, let’s go eat lunch with Man-Eater. Maybe Alfred will have packed her lunch and it’ll be full of processed sugar or one of her brothers and it’ll be filled with meat that she refuses to eat.” He pulled Nino along to the cafeteria, a smile on his face as he heard the girls in the hallway complain.

\---

Nino joined Colin, and subsequently Marinette, after school. He smiled at Colin before waving at Marinette. “Thank you for letting me join you today.”

“You’re Colin’s soulmate. Colin’s like a brother to me. I’ll do anything to make him happy.” Marinette kept her eyes down the street before a smile broke out on her face and she bounced on the pads of her feet. “Not Alfred today.”

A blacked out Chevy Suburban rolled up in front of them, the passenger window rolling down and Jason’s smirking face appeared. “Get in losers. We’re going shopping.”

Marinette groaned as she climbed into the passenger seat. “Why did Steph agree to let you watch Mean Girls with us?” The boys climbed into the back as she fiddled with the radio, she buckled her seatbelt and relaxed back into her seat satisfactorily when Disturbed’s “The Sound of Silence” filtered through the speakers.

Jason shot a playful glare at Marinette, causing Colin to burst out laughing, and he leaned over and flicked her forehead. “You’re such a fake rock fan.”

“Oh yes. Because the stuff you guys listened to in Crime Alley was so much better.” Marinette mouthed the words to the song, her eyes focused on the buildings they were passing.

\---

Nino watched in mild terror (and awe ( **SO. MUCH. AWE.** )) as Colin and Marinette sparred. The cheery happy tempo of Panic! at the Disco’s “Hey Look Ma, I Made It” filled the training room, Jason watched on, his eyes taking in the techniques used, and would make a displeased noise when the two sparring weren’t using proper form. He thought back to Paris, and when he would have training sessions like this with Gentlebug and Chat Noir. He looked over at Jason before motioning with his head over at the sparring duo.

Jason, with a mischievous smirk on his face, waved his hand in front of his face. “This is normal. We all do it, spar I mean. Although, not to the extent they do.” He walked over to stand beside the Morrocan teen and shrugged. “You ever spar?”

“From time to time.” Nino shrugged and looked back over to Colin and Marinette. “Everyone does in Paris.”


	8. The End is Just the Beginning

Marinette stood in front of the floor length mirror beside her bedroom door. “What do you think? Honey, Meatball and Shrapnel looked on disinterestedly while Gin and Roy walked around her cynically. Trooper rubbed against her legs and she reached down to stroke a hand down his back. Her eyes looked up her outfit and nervously tugged at her hair. Her outfit consisted of dark gray tights covered in light gray catheads under a black romper with a leather jacket. She wore black combat boots with silver buckles to match her black and silver bag slung over her shoulder. She looked around before grabbing a first aid kit, just in case. She turned and walked out of her room, ready to spend the day showing the Parisian students around Gotham.

\---

Marinette let out a curse as she pulled the students out of the way. She shed her leather jacket, throwing it over the short blonde girl’s head as she pushed the shorter girl into the waiting arms of her girlfriend, as she ran further into the fray. She pulled and pushed the Parisians out of the way, looking at them over her shoulder. “Call the GCPD! Or Batman! Just call somebody!” She turned back to the fray and continued pulling people out of it.

Marinette came to a stop, however, when she caught sight of Damian. She rushed over to him, bits of debris scraping her arms and cheeks as she bobbed and weaved between the people running in the direction she’d come in. She slid to a stop in front of his prone form, her hands quickly checking his pulse and a relieved sigh tumbled from her lips. She pulled the first aid kit out of her bag and quickly bandaged a few of the less serious wounds. Her eyes scanned the area, catching sight of the blond hair of his best friend running from the scene before her eyes caught sight of her family. She scooped Damian up into her arms and began making her way to one of Jason’s several safehouses.

\---

She kicked open the door, her eyes scanning the alleyway around the door for any ruffians. She walked in and walked to the bathroom, she grabbed a towel and walked back into the living room where she laid the towel down onto the couch before she laid Damian down on top of the towel. She walked over to close the door before she returned to the couch and pulled out her first aid kit. She set about treating and wrapping the more serious wounds, losing herself in the repetitive motion and the need to help him.

Damian’s eyes slowly opened, taking in the dark and dingy room he was in, before he sucked in a breath. He noticed the slight weight of the bandages around his injuries (that he only knew existed because of the slight sting he got from them all) before he looked up into the emerald-jade eyes of his rescuer. His eyes widened and he shot up. “Where’s Adrien?!”

Damian’s panicked voice broke through Marinette’s concentration, pulling a startled gasp from her. “Hey! Woah. Damian. Adrien got away. He’s safe.”

Damian looked around, panic clear in his eyes before his eyes settled on Marinette’s chest. “Uh-” he cleared his throat and pointed at his chest.

Marinette’s eyes trailed down his form before catching the frayed edges of her romper. She quickly looked down at her chest, her eyes widening when she caught sight of the praying mantis, before she looked back up at Damian. “This isn’t what you-”

“You’re Mantis?” Damian’s voice came out scandalized and his eyes narrowed at her. “And you didn’t tell me. Wait, that means-”

“I know you’re Gentlebug?” She nodded and shook out her hands. “Now sit still and let me finish wrapping your wounds.”

\---

Jason, followed by Adrien and Garfiled, burst into the safehouse. “Man-Eater? Marcus?!” He ran around the safehouse, completely bypassing the living room. “Where are you? I could have swore I saw her run this way.” His hands anxiously went to his head, pulling off his helmet and the domino mask underneath. “We have to keep moving. Keep looking for the-” Jason’s green-tinged blue eyes caught sight of Marinette, propped up on the arm of the couch with her legs laid over Damian’s lap, with a Chesire grin on her face.

“Hey Jay.” She waved at him, allowing him to catch sight of the bandages wrapped tightly around her chest.

“Did you get hurt?” Jason’s anxious voice filled the room.

In a moment Garfield ran to her side, his eyes searching her form for injuries. “Are you okay Orchid? You’re not hurt are you?”

Marinette waved her hand dismissively in front of her face. “I’m fine.” She pressed a kiss to his cheek and watched Adrien scramble to Damian’s side.

“Are you okay? Where does it hurt?” The blond boy’s green eyes widened in fear. “Where’s you know who? Are they alright?”

Damian looked at Marinette, his blue eyes searching her green eyes. She nodded and placed her hand on his shin supportively. “Mom’s fine. How’s Dad?”

“Dad’s fine.” Adrien smiled at Damian and pressed his forehead against Damian’s. “I was worried about you, you dumb bug.”

“I was worried about you, you dumb cat.”

Jason placed a hand on Marinette and Damian’s shoulders. “Let’s get you two back to the group.”

\---

"Adrikins!" The two Parisian boys' blonde friend threw herself at the blond. "I was so worried!"

"Don't worry so much Queenie." The blond boy wrapped an arm around the blonde and pressed a kiss to her cheek. "We're okay."

Damian separated from Marinette, a smile on his face as he saw his friends. "Don't worry guys. No harm done." He extended his arms for his friends to examine and when they all nodded in contentment he lowered his arms.

Garfield, with his arm wrapped around Marinette's shoulder, whispered to his girlfriend. "He knows now? Like actually knows?"

Marinette shrugged and turned into her boyfriend. "I just hope one of my brothers got my-" she caught sight of the short blonde girl she tossed her jacket onto and broke away from Garfield. "I'm so glad you're okay." Marinette nabbed the girl's hand and pressed a gentle kiss to her knuckles. Marinette looked up at the girl, her green eyes shining in relief while the blonde's blue eyes shined in gratitude. "I'm so very thankful that my jacket protected you and your girlfriend from the debris. However, I am going to have to request its return."

The short blonde looked down at her shoulders and let out a gasp. "Of course!" She shrugged off the jacket and passed it back. "Thank you for lending us your jacket."

"It was my pleasure." Marinette slipped her arms back into the jacket and returned to Garfield's side.

"Did you have to flirt with the girl?" Garfield asked Marinette.

Marinette shrugged and smiled. "Do you think he'll accept that it's not going to be just him and I?"  
Garfield looked down at his girlfriend, her green eyes looking up at him. "If he doesn't you'll always have me here. And Vic and Rach, we're not going anywhere."  
"Thanks for that." Marinette pressed a kiss to Garfield's cheek. She turned back to the Parisian teens and smiled. Things were looking up but the end is just the beginning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the end of this specific fic. The next one (which'll be the end of this particular series) will be about Marinette, Garfield and Damian (as well as Adrien and Jon (and maybe Bart)).


End file.
